Final Destination
by TwilightAddict1991
Summary: When Edward has a vision that his plane will explode minutes before it actually does, death comes back to kill off those who got off the plane. How long can Edward and his friends cheat death? BXE based on movie Final Destination. CHARACTER DEATH! AH AU
1. Airplane

**Okay! I changed a few things, but nothing major. I just tried to make some parts flow better because it's been bugging me. Sooooo, ENJOY! For those of you who are new to this story, it's just a spinoff of Final Destination (the original movie, not the one that just came out) and it's spot on with the movie at the beginning, but it will definitely stray towards the end. Characters are OOC.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or Final Destination, but Robert Pattinson owns me.**

"I can't believe my baby boy is growing up so fast!" my mother, Esme, exclaims. I blush, embarrassed by her over-the-top emotions even though there is currently nobody around except my Dad, Carlisle, to witness it. My mother wraps her arms around me and I can feel her tears soak through my shirt.

I hesitantly put my arms around her, very loosely, and pat her back. "I-it's okay, mom. I'm just going to be gone for 10 days. You'll barely have time to miss me!"

My mother has never reacted this badly to me leaving home before, but then again, I've never been out of the country (or state, even) without her. Tomorrow, my French class is taking a field trip to Paris for "educational purposes," and it will be the first time I've spent more than one night away from my parents. Sad, I know.

Thankfully, our school's French club is fairly small-ish compared to the size of the rest of the school, and only 46 people are going. I've never really been a people person, and I'm glad I won't have to spend the next week and a half with a bunch of people who I couldn't care less about.

"Jasper and Mike's dad just called and said he will be picking you up at 1 o'clock tomorrow to head to the airport," my dad informs me as he leans up against my doorframe, watching my mother and I finish packing for tomorrow.

Jasper Whitlock has been my best friend for as long as I can remember. His dad died before Jazz was even born and his mom remarried only a year after giving birth. Nine months later, Jazz's mom and stepdad had Mike together. Jazz kept his dad's last name of Whitlock, and of course, Mike has _his_ dad's last name, Newton. Their only similarity is their blonde hair-- they both got it from their mother.

Mike is a really cool guy too, but I just don't click with him like I do with Jazz. I don't really click with _anyone_ like I do with Jazz. At school, I pretty much just keep to myself. I'm perfectly fine with that, though, because it keeps me out of the way of Emmett McCarty, the biggest bully (and dick) in the whole school. Jazz and Mike are the only ones I've ever really befriended. Luckily, since we all coordinated our schedules, all three of us are in French and will be going on the trip tomorrow.

"So, Edward, you're going to call me as soon as you land, every night before you go to bed, and before you get on the plane to come back. Do you hear me?" My mother has always been pretty bad at trying to sound stern, but I know she really means what she says.

"Mom! We've been over this a thousand times! I'll definitely call you if I can, but there probably won't be good service over there. And we're probably going to be really busy visiting different tourist spots. Plus, with the time difference it will be kind of difficult…"

"Edward. I do not care if you call me every day at 3 in the morning. You _will_ call," she looks at me with her 'I'm-dead-fucking-serious-so-don't-you-dare-disobey-me' look.

I hang my head in defeat, "Yes, mom."

She smiles and goes to take off the old airline ID marker off of my suitcase.

"NO!" I cry out before I can stop myself. My mother looks up startled.

"Sorry, just…don't…take that off. You know, it's good luck. The last plane we were on didn't crash or anything, so it's gotta be on the bag or at least with it," I explain while blushing. It sounded so much better in my head.

My parents still look completely confused, but nod, trying to humor me.

"Just…for luck," I explain lamely trying to make myself seem less of a completely superstitious dork.

My dad, trying to pull me out of my awkwardness, speaks again, "Well, 17 and on the loose in Paris! Ten days and no parents! Live it up, my boy, you've got your whole life ahead of you!"

As soon as he says this, a shiver runs down my spine and I get this eerie feeling I can't quite explain. I feel kind of panicky and tense. Almost like I can sense impending doom. I simply shrug it off and chalk it up to the fact that I feel that way because I am going to be on an extended trip with Emmett McCarty and minimal adult supervision. Imagine the things he will be able to get away with!

That night, I go to bed fairly early--for me. I know that tomorrow is going to be a long day and that I will probably have trouble sleeping on the plane. I always do.

After a few hours of sleep, I wake up for seemingly no reason. I look out the window to see that it's storming outside, and decide that it's the piercing thunder that woke me. I sigh and run my fingers through my hair as I lay back down on my bed. I'm just about to roll over and try to fall asleep again, when all of a sudden I hear the wind howling wildly. It sounds as if it is all around my room, surrounding me; however, the windows are closed and its sound is too familiar. I swear I hear it calling my name.

It swishes from left to right across my room. _Edward. Edward._

Right to left. _Edward. Edward._

I shoot up out of my bed and glance at my alarm clock, hoping that it's a decent time to wake up for the day. I don't want to stay in bed any longer.

The clock is glowing 1:00 AM. As I stare at the bright green numbers, the middle digit bar of the first zero lights up briefly so that the time reads 1:80. I get another shiver and decide that I'm still half asleep and this is all just in my head. I get up and head to the bathroom to empty my bladder and when I return, everything is back to normal. No wind. No whispering. The clock reads 1:03 AM.

I must have been dreaming. I silently scold myself for having such ridiculous dreams and for filling my mind with such shit.

After taking another quick glance around the room and deciding that everything really _is_ normal, I turn back over and delve into another deep sleep.

*~*

The next day, Jazz and Mike's (step)dad, George, drops us off in the front of the airport and gets out to say goodbye. He hugs each of his sons before turning to Jazz, "You be sure to keep an eye out for your brother. I want both of you boys to come home safely."

Even though George is not biologically Jasper's dad, he acts like it. Jasper never knew his real father, and so he has always looked at George to fill that role.

"Yeah, alright, Dad. I don't know what you're so worked up about though. It's a school trip. There _will_ be supervision."

George turns towards me and gives me a one armed hug. He has always been like a second father to me. "And Edward, you're in charge of keeping an eye on _both_ of them. You're the only one I trust for the job." I laugh and Mr. Newton gets back in his car and drives off after giving one final wave.

The three of us head to the designated meeting spot, which is near the baggage check. As we walk up to the counter, I notice that we're the last ones to arrive. I glance at the group to get a better idea of who all will be on the trip and see Emmett and his girlfriend, Rosalie Hale, all over each other, practically sucking each other's faces off. I make a face and let me eyes glide straight over them without a second thought.

Next to the lovebirds, I see Alice Cullen, who I swear is bipolar, bouncing up and down. That girl's moods change more than she changes clothes. One minute she's hyper and excited and in a good mood, and in the next, she's screaming at you for God-knows-what. I've never really talked to her before because she intimidates me. Even if she is a foot and a half shorter than me.

My eyes roam the rest of the group (which is thoroughly disappointing, though I don't know what I was expecting. Nearly everyone at my school is a disappointment) and I'm thankful when on the other side of the group, sitting down in one of the seats away from everyone else, I see Bella Swan reading a book. I don't think I've ever said one word to Bella and we've gone to the same school since 8th grade. Everyone at school considers Bella a freak because she wears black a lot and has no interest in trivial high school drama, but I've never known why people avoid her so adamantly. Sure, she wears black, but not in a gothic fashion. She just wears black t-shirts a lot. And sure, she avoids high school drama, but I actually kind of admire her for that. Besides, she's gorgeous. She used to be somewhat popular when she first moved here, but after both her parents died and she was left alone, she withdrew from her friends. She's one of the few people at my school, though, who I can stand. Maybe I'll actually grow the balls to talk to her this week.

"Hey man, let's go check our suitcases!" Jasper exclaims suddenly, making me jump with surprise.

Jasper and Mike run ahead of me to get in line, and I'm making my way to join them slowly when a man steps in front of me. He is fairly young, in his twenties or thirties, and has a shaved head with a white shape drawn on his forehead.

"Death is not the end!" he shouts at me and sets a pamphlet in my hand. The pamphlet reads: Reality Beyond the Matter: Vaishnava Philosophy. I get the same eerie feeling as I did the night before. I become caught up in my own thoughts, trying to talk myself out of this feeling I keep getting, when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I jump and turn around to find Ms. Cope, one of the chaperones on our trip, standing right behind me.

"It will be for you if you harass my students," she snaps at the man. Keeping her hand on my shoulder, she leads me over to the baggage check. I set my bag on the scale, and the lady takes my boarding pass and passport from me.

"It's the same as your birthday," she says conversationally.

Confused, I look up at her and ask, "Excuse me?"

She smirks, "June twentieth. 6:20. Your birthday is the same as your departure time,"

I nod politely and she begins to ask me a series of required questions that I answer quickly. She tears my old ID tag off my bag and puts a new one on. I really badly want to stop her and ask if I can leave the old one on too, but I'd rather not sound like an idiot in public. Another chill goes up my spine. I really think I'm losing it. She hands me my ticket and I leave the counter quickly.

I head over to where everyone is waiting to find chairs for Jasper, Mike, and myself. I hear my name being shouted from behind me and turn to see Jazz running towards me from the counter.

"Dude! I worked the ticket clerk so now you're sitting next to Lauren and I'm sitting next to Jessica!" He exclaims fairly loudly.

I roll my eyes. Jasper has been infatuated with both girls for as long as I can remember. I, on the other hand, have no particular interest in them. I smile just to humor him.

Jazz and I head towards two empty seats when a book falls directly on my feet. I look to the side and see Bella Swan trying to juggle food, a drink, her carry on bag, and her iPod. While she gets her other stuff situated, I bend down and pick up her book. The picture staring me in the face when I turn it over is a picture of a plane crash that had taken place a few years ago. The feeling that has been following me around since last night returns even stronger. Deciding that I might actually be crazy, I hand Bella back her book.

"Oh, thank you." She takes it from my hands and smiles shyly before returning to her seat and immersing herself in the magazine. I see a weird, fearful look come across her face as she stares at the picture I just looked at.

Realizing that she's not going to say anything else and is no longer paying attention to me, I head over to the empty seat Jasper has found for me. The seats he has picked out are right next to the huge window that gives me a perfect view of both the intense storm going on outside, and the plane that will be carrying me and 45 of my classmates to Paris.

I've never been one with a fear of flying, but looking at this plane gives me the heebie-jeebies. The lightning striking behind it gives it a menacing feel.

"Dude, let's go take a dump" Jasper appears by my side from nowhere.

"Um, Jazz, no offense or anything but dude, what, are we girls or something? Go take a dump by yourself."

"No! Just—hear me out, okay? We're about to board a 7 hour flight. The toilets in coach are barely ventilated closets. What happens if your body decides it wants the airplane food out of your system? You go and do your business and then directly after you, in walks Bella Swan. Do you really want her to associate you with that sting in her eye? That reflexive gag in the back of her throat?"

After taking a few seconds to consider, I figure that he has a point. That would be just my luck.

I don't really have to go to the bathroom so I just sit on the toilet letting my mind wander. Pretty soon, I'm just staring at the stall door humming along with the music playing over the loudspeakers. After a minute or so, I recognize the artist.

"It's John Denver," I whisper to myself.

I hear Jasper put down his book in the next stall. "What?"

"This song. It's John Denver,"

"Um. So?"

"He died in a plane crash"

Jasper either doesn't hear me or completely ignores me.

As soon as we step out of the bathroom I hear a voice come over the PA system. "We will now begin preboarding for the Euro-Air flight 180 to Paris through gate 46."

Joining our group once again, I see the line to start boarding. I know that I need to go ahead and get in it, but I feel hesitant for some reason. Jasper, Mike, and I join the line, and Ms. Cope runs by us. "Anyone seen Alice Cullen? How did we lose her?" I laugh under my breath. That's so very Alice.

I get my ticket scanned by the attendant and make my way down the ramp. It's my turn to get on next, and I'm standing right where the ramp meets the plane. I look down through the small gap to see a baggage cart go by. It's numbered '666'.

Ignoring that same feeling that rushes through me for the 10th time that day, I step onto the plane. As Jazz, Mike, and I enter the actual seating area of the plane, I hear a screeching sound that I recognize as a baby crying.

Mike leans over to me. "That's a good sign. The younger, the better. It'd have to be a messed up God to take down this plane."

A few rows behind the screaming baby, I see a young man with a disorder that I recognize to be Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. (My father is a doctor.) As Mike sees this guy, he leans over to me again. "A _really_ messed up God."

I head to the back and take my seat. I'm in the middle seat and neither of the people on either side of me has arrived yet. I buckle my seatbelt and turn on the air above me. I turn my head towards the window and stare at the plane's wing and the storm going on outside. My breathing accelerates. I close my eyes.

_**From my left, I hear Lauren. "Edward?" I turn my head towards her voice to find Jessica standing right next to her. "Would you trade seats with Jessica so she and I can sit together? We asked Jasper but he said he has some sort of medical condition and needs to be by the bathroom."**_

_**I look up a few rows ahead of me to see Jazz kneeling on his seat and mouthing "No! Don't do it!" at me frantically**_.

_**I shrug and stand up. "Sure." **_

"_**Thanks Edward! You're so sweet"**_

_**I make my way up to where Jazz sits, now looking pissed. "You're welcome," I call to Lauren behind me.**_

_**I jump over Jasper's legs and take my seat next to him. "Fag." **_

_**I laugh. "What, did you really think you were going to tittie-fuck her over Greenland or something?"**_

"_**Because of you, now all I have to do on this plane is watch 'Finding Nemo'." I can tell Jazz is pissed, but I know he'll get over it in no time. **_

_**As soon as my butt makes contact with my seat, the tray table in front of me falls open. I lift the tray back up and turn the latch to lock it back into place. It breaks off in my hand. After trying to jimmie it back into place for a little while, I give up and push the Attendant Call Button.**_

_**I feel the jet lurch and start to roll forward. I look around searching for a flight attendant but there are none to be found. When I look behind me, hoping at least one will still be roaming around instructing people to turn off their electronics, I see Bella Swan with an uncomfortable look on her face sitting right behind me.**_

_**All hope of finding someone to help me fix this tray is lost when I hear the pilot come on over the speakers. "Flight attendants prepare for departure."**_

_**I look out my window as the plane steadily increases speed. I hear the engines' whirring get even louder. That feeling I have been having all day now becomes so strong that I have to close my eyes and grip the arm rest. The sounds of the plane, which I once considered completely normal (and even necessary), now seem menacing. The sounds get louder as the feeling gets stronger. The plane's engines now seem like they are the soundtrack of my demise. **_

_**As soon as the plane leaves the ground completely, all the other students (and even the chaperones) let out a loud cheer and start clapping. I tune them out as I grip the armrest harder and close my eyes tighter. **_

_**The idea that I really am crazy runs through my mind again. Obviously nothing bad has happened yet. I blame it on the picture in Bella's magazine.**_

_**A minute passes before I feel the plane shake for the first time. The lights flicker. A few seconds later, everything is smooth again and I assume we hit a bit of turbulence. I hear Bella Swan let out a nervous laugh from behind me.**_

_**Just as I begin to calm down and relax a bit, the whole cabin jolts suddenly. It continues to bang and rock. I am not the only one on the plane freaking out now. I hear the engines stall and the cabin dips and angles sharply to the right. Now there's screaming. We spin so far to the right that all the unrestrained belongings fly across the aircraft, and the overhead bins begin to open up and dump their contents onto the passengers. A man without his seatbelt on is thrown from his seat. The oxygen masks drop down and everyone grabs them frantically, putting them on themselves and on their loved ones. As soon as I put mine on, the lights start flickering even more than before and then go out completely. Screams of panic and desperation fill the plane. **_

_**I dare to look out the window and see we're now spinning downward. I try taking deep breaths. In through the nose and out through the mouth. It's not working as well as I would have hoped. **_

_**Suddenly, I hear an explosion. I look up to see a five foot hole in the fuselage. The people surrounding the explosion are badly burnt all over their bodies and I see a human arm fly through the hole. Blood sprays everywhere. **_

_**Carry on bags and other personal items are falling through the hole. The seats right in front of it detach from the plane and go flying out as well. With the people still in them. **_

_**I look over to see Ms. Cope trying to grab ahold of a girl's arm right before she is thrown from the plane.**_

_**Another explosion happens towards the front and the entire plane is consumed by it. I feel the skin on my face burning and I wish for death.**_

"Edward?" My eyes pop open at Lauren's words. I look to my left to see her and Jessica standing there. My eyes dart around trying to find some evidence of the catastrophe I just witnessed, but there is none. "Would you trade seats with Jessica so she and I can sit together? We asked Jasper but he said he has some sort of medical condition and needs to be by the bathroom."

My face is dripping with sweat, and I'm now hyperventilating. As I try to get myself together, I look up and see Jasper kneeling in his seat mouthing, "No! Don't do it!"

Completely freaked out at the similarity between what is going on and what I just witnessed, I jump up and sprint as fast as I can over to Jazz's seat. I jump over his legs and whack him in the face with my bag. "Dude, what's up?"

I sit down in the same seat I had dreamt I was sitting in and open the tray table. The latch comes off into my hand just like before.

"Um, is there a problem, sir?" I look over to see my actions have alerted a flight attendant.

"Man, what is your fucking problem?" apparently my actions have also alerted Emmett McCarty.

Completely panicked and out of my mind, I jump back over Jazz's legs and try to make my way up to the front of the plane to get off, but Mr. Banner cuts me off. "Get out of my way! The fucking plane is going to explode!"

"Shut up, Masen!" Emmett calls from his seat as Rosalie stands up.

"You are _so_ not funny!" she says in a scared voice.

I try to move around Mr. Banner but the co-pilot comes out and blocks me off.

"We have to get out of here!" I yell at everyone. "It's going down! Get off, get off!"

Everyone is now staring at me like I'm a lunatic and a few are glaring. Nobody believes me.

I look up and my eyes meet Bella's. She's the only one not looking at me as if I'm crazy. She actually looks…believing?

"Now! Now!" I'm trying my hardest not to cry but I can't even form a coherent thought and nobody is letting me off the damn plane.

"Sit down, douchebag!" I glare at Emmett.

Jasper stands up and grabs my arms. Whether he's trying to calm me or restrain me, I don't know.

"Hey. It's okay. Take it easy, man." But not even Jasper can calm me now.

The flight attendant is angry now. "If this is your idea of a joke, we don't tolerate such humor."

Desperately trying to get my point across I yell in his face, "IT'S NO JOKE!" he extends his forearm so I can't move. "This plane will explode on takeoff!"

"Young man, I will remove you if this continues!"

I see Emmett stand up out of the corner of my eye. "_I'll_ remove him"

I stare at him incredulously and try to get around the co-pilot and teachers. "I'll fucking remove myself!" But nobody lets me through.

Emmett extends his fist to try to punch me but the co pilot grabs his arm and then puts him into a chokehold from behind him. At the same time, the flight attendant behind me grabs me by both arms from behind.

They start dragging us through the aisle to the front of the plane right when Alice Cullen gets on. Our little tussle is blocking her way. "Hey! That's my seat right there! Just let me get to my seat!"

Rosalie stands up and starts hitting the co-pilots arm, trying to free Emmett. "He didn't do anything! Let him go!"

I don't know why the flight attendant still has my arm in his grasp. I'm definitely getting off the plane.

"Everyone in the aisle gets off the plane!" the copilot yells.

From behind me, Ms. Cope tells everyone, "Stay where you are! Mr. Banner and I will be right back!"

As soon as we get back into the airport, I notice that Jasper has followed to check on me.

The co-pilot turns to us. "Nobody is getting back on board! That's _my_ call!"

Ms. Cope runs over to him and they have a conversation I can't hear.

To my embarrassment, I'm crying now, and Mr. Banner sits down next to me and tries to get me to talk to him. Jazz sits on my other side and just puts his hand on my shoulder.

Emmett is dragged over to where I'm sitting by a police officer and is still trying to get a swing in. Jazz jumps up and yells in his face, "Sit the fuck down, McCarty!"

Two officers are finally able to get Emmett settled down, and Rosalie sits on his lap while trying to soothe him. I put my head in my hands and try my hardest not to burst into tears. Emmett doesn't need another reason to make fun of me.

I lift my head when Ms. Cope comes over to us and addresses Mr. Banner, "He said he'll let one of us back on board to chaperone. You know more French, so you should go."

Mr. Banner nods and walks back to get on the plane. I see little Alice Cullen follow him as far as she can. "I was late getting on board! I got stuck in the aisle! I wasn't part of the fight! Can't I get back on?" but the door is shut in her face. "Dammit!"

I calm down a little and Jasper goes to get me a wet washcloth. Emmett and Rosalie are standing at the window staring at the plane. I hear Rosalie complaining, "Stupid Edward."

Alice is sulking on one of the seats completely quiet. Ms. Cope is sitting next to me, waiting for me to talk.

And then I see Bella Swan sitting just staring at the wall. I didn't know she got off the plane. She wasn't even in the aisle.

As soon as Jasper comes back, Ms. Cope presses the wet cloth to the back of my neck. The coolness of it feels good against my heated skin. "Edward, talk to me. Tell me what happened."

I shake my head and realize I have the attention of everyone that got off the plane. Emmett is still glaring at me. "I saw it. I don't know. The plane took off and the whole left side exploded. The whole plane blew up. It was so real!"

Emmett's glare intensifies.

Ms. Cope is still calm about everything. I have a feeling she wants to yell at me, but doesn't have the heart to since I must look like a mental patient. I feel like one. "You must have fallen asleep."

Emmett makes his way over to me. "Whoa! We get thrown off a plane and blow a half a day in Paris all because Masen has a bad fucking dream?" Then he starts to mock me. "'The plane's gonna explode! The plane's gonna explode!'" Rosalie tries to hold back a giggle.

Jazz stands up "Hey, fuck you, McCarty"

I'm not normally a violent person, but as soon as he says that, I become so incredibly livid that he is making fun of me that I completely lose it. "The only trip you'll be taking is to the fucking hospital!" I lunge at him, but before I can get any good punches in, I feel two restraining arms on me. The same two policemen from earlier have come back to restrain Emmett and I.

"You're paying for my trip, Masen!"

"I wish you were on that plane, McCarty!"

Both of us finally get settled down and there's a small silence. Emmett and I are both trying to catch our breath. I feel completely drained from today's events and just want to find somewhere to sleep.

Alice sighs as she watches the plane take off. "There they go. Here we stay."

Everyone looks up at it through the window.

Out of nowhere, Emmett kicks me, and I forget all about my exhaustion. I start kicking him back. Our arms are still restrained.

All of a sudden there's a huge boom and the windows shatter. I look up into the sky and see flame and debris raining from the sky.

Everyone around me is in shock. Some are backing away from me.

The plane has exploded.


	2. Jasper

Two airport representatives lead us into a press room to wait until the police and FBI get there.

I look around and see everyone is too raw with residual fear to show any emotion. Everyone is still in shock, myself included.

Nobody but Jazz and Bella will sit anywhere near me. Emmett, Alice, and Ms. Cope are sending glares my way and Rose is hiding her face in Emmett's shoulder, afraid to make eye contact with me.

I can't help but feel guilty about the whole thing. I saw it! I should've done everything I could have to get everyone else out of the plane!

I can tell everyone is very uneasy with having to be around me now, and it hurts a little bit.

"You're all looking at me as if I caused this." My voice is quiet but there is conviction and strength behind it. Everyone continues to stare at me as if they are afraid I am going to finish off the job of killing them right here. "I didn't cause this."

Nobody is reassured. Ms. Cope, completely ignoring my statement, and without making eye contact, turns her head a fraction of a centimeter in my direction. "Are there any survivors?"

I am completely taken aback by the question, but as I look around, I realize that everyone, even Jazz, is looking at me, waiting for an answer.

"How should I know?" More blank stares. "You think I'm some kind of a…" But I don't finish. Bella cuts me off.

"He's not a witch." It's the first time that's she's spoken since the horrific incident and I'm touched that she's defending me.

I shoot her a grateful look but she doesn't see it. She's still sitting in a corner and not looking at anybody.

The door opens suddenly, startling everyone, and about half a dozen men and women come in displaying their official passes and badges.

Everyone is dressed in casual everyday clothes except for two men, who I assume are the FBI. They are all giving us looks of sympathy. I hate it.

One of the men dressed in casual clothing steps in front of the rest to address us. "Hello, my name is Sam Uley, the National Transportation Safety Board vice-chairman. I have notified your families and they are on their way. Does anyone feel like they need medical attention or spiritual counseling at this time?"

Ms. Cope, still very impatient that she hasn't heard any news yet, ignores the man's question and snaps at him, "Have they found any survivors? What's going on?"

Sam looks around, uneasy, and avoids answering her question outright. "The cause of the explosion still hasn't been determined. The Clallam County authorities are on the scene. Naval Search and Rescue are en route."

As soon as Sam finishes his sentence, one of the men in the back with a suit on steps forward. "Excuse me. I'm Agent Black and this is Agent Clearwater," he gestures to the other man in a suit who nods politely. "We're with the FBI. I understand how you all must be feeling right now, and I know it's going to be difficult, but we're going to need to ask you some questions regarding today's events while it's still fresh in your minds."

I realize that this situation is so bizarre that the FBI certainly isn't going to believe anything I say. Especially since my own classmates and teacher don't.

"This will prove invaluable to our rescue attempts and any potential criminal investigations." Both agents look at me as he says this, along with the other 6 survivors. All but Jazz and Bella look accusing.

The two agents ask me to step out in the hall with them, and then lead me to an empty room down the hall.

I sit down in one of the metal folding chairs they have placed in the room, and Agent Black sits on the other side of the table that stands in front of me. Two men from the NFSB stand behind Agent Black with their notepads ready.

"You said, 'Listen to me, this plane will explode on takeoff.' How did you know that?"

I decide it's best to tell them the truth, no matter how ridiculous it sounds. Lying has never been my thing, and I know any lie I tell now will just catch back up to me later. I'm way too drained to fabricate a good one anyway.

"I got this feeling…This weird feeling. I can't explain it." I shake my head and look down at my hands.

"Did you take any sedatives before boarding the plane? Or on board, did you take any sleeping pills, any narcotics, any hallucinogens? Do you take _any_ drugs, Edward?"

The fact that they are implying that I do drugs and/or did something to harm my classmates irks me to no end.

"No. I saw it. I saw it happen. I saw the plane explode," I explain in the calmest voice I can muster. "But it wasn't like a dream. It was like I experienced the whole thing. It was so horrible. I know what they all went through…" and I feel myself tearing up.

Agent Clearwater speaks this time. "Did the weird feelings have anything to do with you telling Emmett McCarty that you wish he was on the plane just before it exploded?"

Again, his assumption that I would like to see anyone, even Emmett McCarty, die is insulting.

"No."

"Then why did you say it?"

"I didn't think it was really gonna happen!" And it's true. I had this feeling that it would, and so I got off the plane. But I never really actually convinced myself that it was inevitable. Better safe than sorry, right?

He doesn't buy this. "If that's the case, Edward, why did you really get off the plane?"

Since I walked in this room, I've known that question was coming, but I don't have an answer for him. Tears are now running down my face and I can't even form a coherent thought.

The FBI agents, upon realizing this, dismiss me in order to call in the next witness.

I sit and wait through Jasper, Ms. Cope, Emmett, and Rose's interrogations. Bella is the last one to go. In the middle of hers, I get up to go to the bathroom. One of the men escorts me there and waits outside the door for me to return. As soon as I get in there, I realize that the bathroom is right next to the room they are using for interrogation, and that the walls are so thin that I can hear every word being said if I press my ear against the wall.

I hear Agent Clearwater first. "All right. Nobody forced you off the plane and you said you weren't friends with those that were. So, Bella, why did you get off the plane?"

I press my ear closer so I can hear Bella's quiet voice. "Because I saw and heard Edward." She pauses for a second before adding, "And I believed him."

Touched, surprised, and a tad relieved, I quickly finish up and return so that nobody gets suspicious.

A few minutes later, Bella returns and sits down by herself again. Everyone remains silent as we sit and wait. For what, I'm not sure.

Though we are all together, we are all alone in our thoughts. Even Emmett and Rosalie seem off in another world, thinking about something other than each other.

After another ten minutes or so of waiting, the door opens and a bunch of parents pour in.

Mine are the first ones in, and they run up to me, my mother crying. They both embrace me in a hug, and I squeeze them back, silently sobbing in my mother's shoulder. I can't imagine the pain she would be going through if I hadn't gotten off the plane.

I look up over my mom's shoulder to see everybody but Bella embracing their parents. Rosalie is crying, and even Emmett is not trying to keep up his tough guy façade. Jasper's Dad looks up over Jazz's shoulder and gives me another one of the looks I have been receiving a lot of today. And to be honest, I become quite frustrated that I'm still receiving them.

I focus my attention over to Bella, who is standing by the door, tears welling in her eyes, alone. Her parents are no longer alive, and she has no one to come pick her up. She begins to shift her weight awkwardly, not knowing what to do. I feel the need to go give her a hug, but I still don't know her well, and my mother has a grip of death on me.

Deciding that I still want to do something for Bella, I whisper in my mom's ear, "Nobody came for Bella. Do you think we could give her a ride home?"

My mom holds me at an arm's length away and answers, "Of course, honey. Why don't you go talk to her."

I head over to Bella, who is staring at the ground, and sit down next to her. "Hey."

She looks up, startled. "H-hey, Edward."

I feel kind of awkward. "Um, do you need a ride home? My mom says that it's no problem to drop you off."

She smiles weakly and nods. "That would be great, thanks."

We load in the car, and Bella and I get in the back. I really don't know what to say to Bella; even though there is so much that I want to talk to her about. It's still storming outside, but it doesn't give me the chills anymore. I just feel numb now.

Bella's voice brings me out of my daze. "Here's good."

I look up to see a group of trees standing in front of an old, beat up shack. I never realized this is where Bella lives. It's a complete dump.

"Thank you very much for the ride."

My mom turns to face her. "Oh, honey, it's absolutely no problem. Let us know if there's anything we can do for you."

I give her a weak wave, still unable to speak, but she doesn't see it. I watch as she makes her way through the mud up to her house.

That night, I decide to stay downstairs with my parents. I'm not really in the mood to be all alone. We sit in the living room and watch TV until my parents fall asleep.

I cannot fall asleep. I have too many thoughts in my head and too many fears. I sit there, exhausted, just staring at the TV.

The news comes on. The first story is, you guessed it, the plane explosion.

"_You are looking at the first piece of debris to wash ashore from Euro-Air Flight 180—"_

Next channel.

"_it erupted shortly after a 6:20 PM takeoff—" _

Next.

"—_no known survivors—_"

Next.

"_Rescue efforts are continuing at this moment—"_

Next.

"_Aboard the flight, a class of 40 students and 4 teachers from Forks High School on their way to Paris for a field trip. There are reports that several students were removed from the aircraft moments before departure. However, investigators remain guarded about specifics of this incident."_

Seeing it on the TV just makes it so much worse. It makes it real. I've never really liked anyone at my school apart from Jasper and Mike, (and possibly Bella) but I never would have wished death on any of them. Even though most of them irked me while they were still here, I will miss them in a way.

And Mike was on that plane. I've known Mike as long as I've known Jazz. While I've never considered him to be my best friend, he was one of my only friends. And now he's gone…

Not being able to take much more, I turn the TV off. The thunder and lightning are even worse than they were back at the airport. I shut the curtains before heading up to my room to try to get some sleep.

~*~

The next few days are a bit better. My parents are the only ones I hang around, and they don't dare breach the subject of my freaky vision, or even the plane in general.

About a week after the explosion, they hold a memorial service up at school for those that were lost that night. The only way to be able to accommodate everyone who wants to come is to have the service outside.

I sit with my parents, just as everyone else is.

A minister stands behind a podium up in front of everyone. It's a sunny day, a rarity in Forks. A large memorial sits in front of the minister covered with multiple sheets.

"It's been eight days since we lost our thirty nine loved ones, friends, and teachers."

All of those feelings of guilt and sadness I have spent the past few days trying to repress are being brought back up to the surface.

"As each day passes without a determining cause for the accident, we ask ourselves, 'Why?'"

I look across the aisle to see Jasper sitting with his parents. His dad hasn't allowed him to have anything to do with me ever since that night. It's killing me.

"Ecclesiastes tells us, 'Man no more knows his time than fish taken in the fatal net...'"

My dad, who sees me staring at Jasper, sees that I miss my best friend and wraps his arm around my shoulder in a comforting manner.

I look behind me and see Agents Black and Clearwater standing behind the last row of seats, keeping an eye on me. I sigh and focus my attention to the row of seats in front of the FBI agents and see Bella. She's sitting by herself, dressed in a black dress. She's staring at me, as if trying to tell me something. I can't figure out what.

"Before we escape the presence of death and time, we must mourn and celebrate theirs."

I play with the rose in my hand, being careful not to poke myself with a thorn. A bunch of people were given roses to set on the huge memorial that Forks High had made to remember those lost in the explosion.

Two teachers walk up to the memorial and remove the sheets covering it. It's a huge bronze eagle standing on a block with all 39 names engraved in it.

A student holding a guitar goes up to the microphone and begins to play a song.

People holding roses start to get up and form a line in front of the memorial to pay their respects, and I decide to join them. I end up behind Emmett and Rosalie, who are embracing each other.

Emmett doesn't turn around, but glances at me from the corner of his eye and starts talking. I can tell by the tone of his voice that he isn't talking to Rosalie. "I hope you don't think, Masen, that because my name isn't up on that wall, that I owe you anything"

"I don't."

"All I owe these people," he gestures to the memorial, "is to live my life to the fullest."

"Maybe you should lay off all the cocaine then," I say under my breath. But he hears me and turns around to face me.

"Don't ever fucking tell me what to do. I control me. Not you."

I stay quiet, annoyed at myself for even making the comment.

"I'm never gonna die," is Emmett's last comment before he takes off in the opposite direction.

Rosalie stays behind a second; she looks at me and then rubs a small spot on my arm, as if this is the only manner she can extend her thanks to me.

I nod and give her a small smile before she heads off to join Emmett.

Not too long after, I see Alice Cullen, who has just finished paying her respects, walking towards me.

"I took my driver's test at the DMV this week." I turn to face her with an incredulous expression on my face. We're at a funeral for our classmates, and she's talking about something as trivial as her driver's license?

"I got a 70. That's the lowest score you can get and still pass. When I was done, the guy who drove with me during the test turns to me and says, 'young woman, you are going to die at a very young age.'"

Not understanding her point, I continue to just stare at her, confused.

"Well, is it true?"

I cannot believe she is mocking me, especially at a time like this, and I have to keep myself calm to stop from lashing out at her.

Trying to control my voice, I pinch the bridge of my nose and take a deep breath. "Not here. Not now. Not _ever_, Alice."

She sighs and starts to leave before turning around to face me again. "If I ask out Tyler Crowley, will he say yes?"

I glare at her, and she gets the message and runs off.

I finally make it up to the memorial, and join Ms. Cope where she is placing her rose.

"Ms. Cope…" I see that she's crying so I put a comforting hand on her shoulder. She jerks out of my grip.

"Don't talk to me. You scare the hell out of me." She walks off.

I stand there, not having any idea what to do now. Is this what my life is going be like? Am I going to be known as the freaky vision kid? Are people going to avoid me like the plague from now on?

I set my rose with the others, and see Jazz walk up to stand beside me.

"Hey, Edward."

I am so thankful that at least one person is willing to have a conversation with me that's not full of anger or mocking.

"Jazz, I don't want to sound gay or anything, but I miss you."

Jasper runs his fingers over Mike's name before looking at me.

"Me too…but my dad doesn't understand. When he's better, you and I will road trip down to Portland."

I laugh and nod. "Sounds like a plan." But Jasper's dad spots us, and Jazz has to leave.

I am about to walk away, but when I turn around, I see Bella standing, her full attention on me. She hands me the rose she holds in her hands.

"Because of you, I'm still alive. Thank you."

Before I can say anything back, a reporter takes a picture of her handing me the rose, and Bella walks off.

Jasper goes up to the podium to read something he wrote in Ms. Cope's class. I didn't know he was going to be sharing anything…

"We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this, we imagine that the hour is placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon."

The same feeling that I got before the plane crash returns.

~*~

The next night, I stay cooped up in my room, not in the mood to interact with my parents. I pick up today's newspaper, which I had started reading earlier, to see a picture of Bella that was taken yesterday at the memorial service. She is standing in front of a tree in a black dress that hugs her curves marvelously while holding a rose and staring off into the forest. She looks absolutely breathtaking.

I shake my head and toss the newspaper on the desk before picking up an old book.

The book doesn't keep my concentration though, and I keep looking back and forth between the picture of Bella and the rose she gave me, which is lying by my bed.

I sigh, about ready to give up and just go to bed when I hear a huge 'boom' from outside my window.

An owl sits perched on my window sill staring at me with his large yellow eyes. It's flapping its wings, creating a loud disturbance.

Following my instinct, I throw an old magazine that is sitting on my desk at the window.

One of the pages of the magazine gets caught in the spinning blades of my fan that sits by the window, effectively tearing the page to shreds.

One of the pieces that came from the paper flits across the room and lands on my knee. I pick it up and turn it over. It's torn in such a manner that the only letters remaining from the caption are "Jazz".

The feeling returns even stronger than it was at the plane's crash. This can't be just a coincidence.

I sit for a few more minutes, but I'm too fidgety to concentrate on just one thing.

I turn the radio on, in hopes that it will distract me. The song that was playing when I turned it on ends, and the DJ comes on. "And now, as requested, we have Rocky Mountain High by John Denver." It's the same song from the airport.

Unable to repress the feeling any longer, I grab my jacket and throw it on as I run down the stairs.

I decide to run down to Jazz's and take a peek around to see if anything is going on. If everything looks to be okay, I'll just come back home. But I have to check for myself that everything is fine.

Thankfully, my parents are both asleep and the alarm system isn't turned on.

I'm very careful not to make any noise as I sneak out my front door and run as fast as I can over to Jasper's house.

I make it to the house after about five minutes of running. An ambulance and two police cars are parked outside with their lights on.

Trying not to be seen so that I don't get in any more trouble with the FBI, but still needing to know what's going on, I run across their yard to hide behind a big tree.

I see Jasper's mom and step dad standing on the lawn, holding each other, crying.

They wheel a stretcher out. The body on it is completely covered.

Jazz is dead.


	3. Caught

As soon as I see the body being wheeled out of the house, all rational thought leaves my mind. I notice that his body is being taken over to the coroner's van, which I had not noticed at first.

Medics are slowly making their way back to the ambulance with their equipment in hand and looking defeated. As soon as one is close enough for me to speak to, I run out of my hiding place in the trees and approach him.

"What happened? Where is Jasper?" Even though I know that it's Jasper's body that they wheeled out of the house, I have to be one hundred percent sure. And even though I'm sure it's Jasper, I have no idea what could have possibly happened while at home with his parents.

The medics act like they can't hear me, and continue on loading the ambulance.

Almost immediately, a black shiny car pulls into the driveway just feet away from me. I try to look in the windows, because I don't know anyone who has a car like this, but they are tinted. The doors open.

It's Agent Black and Agent Clearwater.

Agent Black slams his door and turns to glare at me. This is exactly why I wanted to hide in the first place. Being at the scene of the incident certainly isn't going to help my case. As Black turns to share a look of suspicion with Clearwater, I hear my name being whisper-shouted from behind me.

"Edward!"

Before I even have time to wonder who could possibly be trying to get my attention while staying hidden from everyone else, my body turns of its own accord.

Bella Swan is standing behind a tree, her body half out of view.

I can't even form a coherent thought upon seeing her. Partly because I'm completely at a loss for why she would be at Jasper's house at this time a night, and partly because I'm so dumbfounded by how beautiful she is that for a split second I think she is a hallucination. I am crazy after all.

"Edward, you have to get out of here. Now."

My mouth is moving, but I'm pretty sure that no words are coming out. Bella puts her finger up to her mouth to shush me.

Two seconds later, I hear my name being shouted much louder from the direction of the house.

I turn to find Jasper's mom and step dad walking in my direction. Bella ducks out of view behind a tree, and though my brain has still not caught up to what is happening, I find myself walking over to meet them.

For the first time since I arrived, I feel nauseous. My best friends are now both dead.

Deciding that George can give me some much needed answers, I pick up my pace and meet them right in front of the coroner's van. They are loading Jasper's body inside.

"What happened?" My voice is weak from emotion.

George just glares at me accusingly. "What, you didn't 'see' anything?" His voice is mocking.

His accusation stings. I see that Black and Clearwater have moved closer to hear our conversation better.

"You mean you didn't predict it? You didn't read his mind?" His voice has grown angry, and for once, I'm thankful that Black and Clearwater are around so that George can't get violent.

I'm in control of myself enough to know not to act rash and say something I'll regret saying in front of the FBI agents. I take a few calming breaths to help get myself back under control.

"What happened to him?" my voice is quiet now; reserved. I don't make eye contact with Jasper's parents.

"You caused him so much guilt over Mike staying on the plane that…he took his own life." At this, George breaks down. Tears run down his face and he clutches his sobbing wife to him tighter.

A lot of reasons had run through my mind earlier as to what could have caused Jazz's death. This was definitely not one of them.

I know he's wrong.

"No! He would never do that! He told me that we would start hanging out again after you got better. After you got over Mike. Why would he make plans with me if he was planning on killing himself?" I'm surprised that my voice remains steady and has some conviction behind it.

Without saying a word, George walks away. He glares at me as he drags his wife in the house and slams the door.

I turn back to the coroner's van. They slam the door with Jasper's body inside.

I run my hands through my hair, tugging at it. I need to find Bella. I need to know why she was here. I need to talk to her. She's the only one who could possibly semi-understand all the bizarre things that are going on right now. I turn and head back over to the tree I saw her standing at just minutes before. She's gone.

I hang my head in defeat. I feel completely drained both physically and emotionally. I decide to head home before my parents wake up and find me gone, and start walking. My mind is blank. I don't feel the cold air surrounding me. I don't hear all of the emergency vehicles drive off or the curious neighbors go back to their house. I don't worry about the FBI agents who obviously think I'm some kind of psychopath serial killer.

I get back to my house with no memory of the trip back. Deciding that I'm not at the right mental state to process everything that's happened to me in the past week, I lay down in my bed and let my exhaustion consume me.

~*~

As soon as I wake up, the events of the night before come crashing down. I spend the morning lying in my bed in the fetal position crying. How has my life come to this? Before the plane, everyone had ignored me as well. But they did it out of disinterest. Now, people ignore and avoid me because they think I'm loony.

I take a shower and eat an early lunch to help take my mind off of things, and surprisingly, it works for a while. The second that I run out of things to do, however, things get worse.

I decide to take a walk. That's what I've always done when I need time to myself. It's a good distraction, but it can also be a good time to think.

I don't pay much attention to where my feet take me. I wander out of pure instinct. I'm somehow not surprised when I find myself standing in front of Bella's shack.

I can't see the actual "house" because of all the trees blocking it, but I can hear a loud noise that sounds just like metal being welded.

My curiosity and my need for human companionship both get the best of me, and I find myself wandering up the gravel path that leads to Bella's. A chocolate lab runs out to greet me.

"Seth! Come back here!" I hear Bella's voice ring out, but she becomes quieter when she looks up and sees me. She's standing in front of the open garage in what I assume was once a t-shirt. The sleeves are cut off and the neckline is cut so that it dips low. Her jeans have holes in them and she's wearing big black work boots. She holds a welder's mask in her hands.

"Hey Edward."

I smile at her.

"Hey Bella. Aren't you cold in that?" I gesture to her homemade tank top.

She shrugs, seemingly unbothered by the weather. "It's almost spring."

I try to hold back a guffaw. "It's only the end of January."

She shrugs again. "Yeah, but everything is always in transition. If you concentrate now, you can feel the spring coming."

She pauses briefly before continuing.

"Almost like being able to see the future." She gives me a pointed look as she says this.

She turns back to her work from before. There's a huge metal mass sitting on a wooden table. There's a larger mass beside it covered in a ratty old sheet.

I don't say anything. I can tell she's trying to get me to talk to her about the night of the plane.

"Do you know what this is, Edward?" she pulls the sheet off of the large object and gestures to both of the pieces of metal sitting on the wooden table.

I've never been one for art, and frankly, this all looks like a bunch of scrap metal to me.

"Like, um…you're mad about something?" I guess.

She sighs and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear, not making eye contact with me. She clears her throat nervously and looks down at her shoes.

"It's a piece of debris from the plane. I went to the shore off the crash site and found it washed up on the beach."

I've been receiving a lot of unexpected answers lately and this is no exception.

"You went there? I've wanted to go there, but I thought the site was off limits."

The corner of her mouth curves upward and I find myself staring at her lips.

"It didn't stop me. And if you want to go, it shouldn't stop you either."

I nod, but I know that I won't end up going.

Wanting to change the subject and get some answers, I look her directly in the eyes before I speak.

"Why were you at Jasper's last night?"

She remains silent as she searches around her garage for something. She grabs a few brushes and some turpentine and begins cleaning. I stay silent, knowing that she'll answer when she's ready.

When she does start talking, though, it's not to answer my question.

"Look, I've seen enough TV to know that the FBI doesn't investigate teen suicide. They were there last night. That means that: 1. They still have no idea what caused the crash. 2. They haven't ruled out anything, and the fact that seven people got off the plane before it exploded is probably weird enough. Not to mention, one of those people had a vision, or whatever, of it exploding just moments before it did, is highly suspicious. And it doesn't help that the visionary's friend just committed suicide."

Refusing to be deterred, I repeat my question. "Why were you there last night?"

She still seems reluctant to answer my question, and busies herself by returning the turpentine and brushes to a shelf in the garage. I wait patiently until she returns to stand directly in front of me. This time, instead of averting her eyes, she stares directly into mine. I can't look away.

"Before that day, Edward, you were just another suburban nothing that would have never had anything to do with my life. And I'm sure that you thought I was some Marilyn Manson body pierced freak, or whatever."

She couldn't be more wrong, but I stay quiet to let her finish.

"The point is, that in six years of going to the same school, we haven't said one word to each other. But at that moment on the plane, I felt what you felt. I had no idea where it was coming from or why I was feeling that way until you started freaking out."

Upon the mention of me freaking out, I lower my head and blush, embarrassed.

"Edward, I didn't see what you saw. But I felt what you felt."

More silence.

"You can still feel it can't you? Something from that day is still with you."

I nod, still looking down at the ground.

She nods, as if she was expecting that answer.

"I know because I can still feel you, Edward. _That's_ why I was there last night."

Her words hit me hard and I feel slightly relieved that I'm not completely alone in this.

"Look, Bella, I've never dealt with death before. For all I know, this could all be in our heads! It just feels like it's all around us"

Bella's eyebrows scrunch. "It?"

I nod. Being with Bella is definitely having a soothing effect, and I'm grateful that she doesn't think I'm a complete idiot or psycho. "What if…Jasper was just the first of us?"

Before I said it, I had no idea that I was worried about it. Once the words leave my mouth, however, I feel a sense of certainty.

"Is that a feeling that you're having?"

I crouch down and run my fingers through my hair. Letting out a huge sigh, I stand back up and realize I'm standing way closer to Bella than I have before. I lower my voice. "I don't know. I just wish I could see him one more time. Then maybe I would know."

Bella gets a mischievous grin on her face.

"Then let's go see him."

I'm completely thrown off by her suggestion. How could we possibly go see Jazz when he's dead?

That's when it hits me like a ton of bricks.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Bella. I am NOT going to the morgue with you. Nu uh. I draw the line here."

Bella laughs and grabs my arm. An electric current jolts up my arms at her touch.

"Come on, Edward. Don't be such a baby. Besides, do you want answers or not? I mean, I guess we _could_ just sit around and wait for our own death. Since we won't know for sure if it's coming or not, we can just sit around and wonder all the time. It might make us completely paranoid, but I guess if you'd rather do that then go to the morgue, then that's okay—"

"Okay! Okay! I'll go to the morgue with you. But how are we going to do it? Will they let us in?" I haven't had much experience with morgues, to be honest.

The devious smile returns. "Oh, they won't know."

What have I gotten myself into?

~*~

"Shh, Edward! Man, you're so noisy." Bella has been scolding me for my lack of sneakiness all night.

"Sorry," I whisper back. "I don't really do this kind of thing often."

Bella rolls her eyes and continues wrenching the stained glass skylight from its place in the ceiling.

Bella and I had spent the rest of the day after our encounter at her place. Even with our morbid plan in place for the evening, we had fun. I allowed myself to forget the events of the past few weeks and just let myself have fun with her. Bella made it easy. As soon as it got dark, we had dressed ourselves in black clothing, and Bella even got some of her black eyeshadow to make black marks on our cheeks. I thought that was taking it a bit too far, but she seemed to find it hilarious.

Pulling myself back to the present, I see that Bella has just gotten the skylight free. She sets it to the side and lowers herself through the hole until she's hanging on to the ceiling with her fingertips and her feet are dangling just a few inches above an empty, open coffin.

She drops all the way and surprisingly, her shoes against the wood of the coffin barely make a noise. I clumsily follow her down and practically kiss the ground when I finally get myself off of the coffin.

Bella comes over to where I'm sitting on the ground and pulls me up. "Man, this gives me a rush."

"What? Being in this place?" I question her, confused.

She laughs silently. "No. Doing something I'm not supposed to."

Bella leads me over to the only door I see in the room we are currently in, and I follow her, assuming that she knows where she's going better than I do.

I follow her out of the door and down the hallway until we reach two large white steel doors with bolts in them. It's a very creepy looking door.

It's locked. Though, I don't know why we expected anything else. No one's here. It's close to one in the morning.

I turn around to leave. "Well, it was a good idea and everything, Bella. Too bad we didn't think of picking locks."

I take one step before Bella's hand grasps my arm and pulls me back.

"Oh, please, Edward. You really think I haven't thought about something as simple as lock picking?"

I shrug. Bella reaches into a black bag that she brought along and pulls out a funky wire that looks like a very thin, long hook. She slides it through the crack in between the two doors and wraps it around the handle, pulling it down and thus unlocking it.

We pull open the door to reveal a very white, odd smelling room. I see a body laid out on a table in front of me with a white sheet covering it from the shoulders down. Next to it, I see a white tray holding many sharp looking tools.

This is where they get the bodies ready for the funeral and burial.

I walk closer to the body on the table. It looks unfamiliar from where I'm standing, but as I get closer I recognize the blonde hair. It's Jasper. His face looks extremely made up though.

"Is that…him?" Bella asks, unsure.

I nod my head. "Yeah."

She scrunches up her nose. "Why did they make him look like…Michael Jackson?"

I move up closer until I'm standing directly over his body. Now that I'm closer, I can see that there's a fluid draining tube sticking out of the spot where his shoulder meets his neck. There are also multiple lacerations all over his neck.

Jasper looks completely wrong lying here. His face is too orange, his neck is a different color. His cheeks and lips are too red. His hair is too tidy.

"Yeah, that's definitely him. But whatever it was that made him Jasper is definitely gone."

Suddenly, Jazz's arm jerks upward a few inches. Bella and I both jump backwards, startled.

"Please don't yell," a deep voice from a dark corner of the room calls out. Bella latches onto my arm as we both turn abruptly do the direction of the voice. A tall, man in his thirties steps out and takes a seat in a chair right next to where Bella and I are standing.

"You'll wake the dead." The mysterious man walks over to us, picking up something that looks suspiciously like pliers.

I'm afraid that we've been caught, but the man doesn't say anything or even look at us in an accusing manner.

"Why did his hand do that?" I figure if I keep him talking, his mind won't be on kicking us out and getting me put away in jail for breaking and entering.

"Chemicals. The vascular flush creates cadaveric spasms."

He gives me the look that I've been waiting to receive since he revealed himself.

"Look, I'm a friend of his, and--"

"I know who you are." He cuts me off.

A chill goes down my spine.

Bella speaks up from beside me. "What are all those marks on his neck?"

The mystery man stands up and walks over to stand on the other side of the table.

"Cuticle lacerations. From pulling at the wire."

I'm somewhat relieved to hear this.

"If he was pulling at the wire, that means that he wasn't trying to commit suicide."

I look to Bella for affirmation. She nods, meeting my eyes and gripping my arm tighter. "Yeah, it must have been an accident then."

"There are no accidents in death."

Bella and I turn our attention to the mystery man again and he continues, "There are no coincidences. No mishaps," He smiles a creepy smile that causes my gut to clench. "And no escape."

"Are you saying that Jasper _did_ kill himself?" I ask, equally puzzled and creeped out by this man.

"Suicide. Murder. Plane Crash. It doesn't matter. He was going to end someday. From the minute you're cut loose from the womb it's a one way ticket on a trip to the tomb."

Bella and I glance at each other, but we don't have time to say anything before the mystery man continues his speech.

"You may not realize it, but we're all just a mouse that a cat has by the tail. Every single move that we make, from the mundane to the monumental…the red light that we stop at, or run; the people we have sex with, or won't with us; the airplane we ride, or walk out of…it's all a part of Death's sadistic design leading straight to the grave."

"Design?" This is a very weird conversation.

Bella speaks up this time, her voice sarcastic. "Does that mean that if you figure out the design, you can cheat Death?"

The man smirks. "Oh, Edward's already done that by walking off of that airplane. Your friend's departure shows that Death now has a new design for each of you. Now you have to figure out how and when it's coming back at you."

Bella shifts uncomfortably beside me and I wrap my arm around her to calm her. She lays her head on my chest and wraps her arm around my waist, and I do an internal happy dance.

"Follow your hunch, Edward…if you think you can get away with it."

He begins to remove the tube inside of Jasper's shoulder.

"But beware, disrespecting Death's plan and cheating could initiate a horrifying fury that would scare even the Grim Reaper."

He removes the tube completely and blood squirts everywhere. Bella cringes and grips me tighter.

"And you don't want to fuck with that."

I decide that since I am now thoroughly freaked out and disgusted, that it's time to leave. I wrap my other arm around Bella and press my lips to her head, reveling in the moment.

"Well, I think we're going to leave. We're sorry for breaking in. It won't happen again."

The mystery man laughs. "No harm, no foul."

Bella promptly releases her hold on me and grabs my hand, pulling me towards the door.

"Oh, and Edward?"

I turn to look at the man once again, willing him to hurry and say what he has to say so I can get the fuck out of here.

"I'll see you soon."


End file.
